Hide separator and method of making same



Dec. 19, 1933. R, ALL RD 1,940,480

HIDE SEPARATOR AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed July 20. 1931 INVENTOR WMM Patented Dec. 19, 1933 g 1,940,480 nmn snrm'roa AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Robert M. Allard, Lancaster,

Armstrong Cork Company,

' corporation of Pennsylv Pa., a'ssignor to Lancaster, 1%., a

Application Jilly -20', 1931. Serial No. 551,902 1 Claims. (01. 91-68) The esthetic appeal in leather articles depends to a great extent upon the natural appearance of the leather used therein. The presence of defects such as creases or wrinkles in the leather 5 detracts considerably from the appearance ofthe finished product and affects its salability. {Such creases or wrinkles are not the result of any inherent defect in the skin, but are occasioned by lack of sufiicient care or skill in the tanning operation;

Heretofore, in order to preserve the natural structure of skins during tanning, it has been necessary to suspendthem freely from sticks with the heads hanging downward in the tan liquors, care being taken to see that the unhaired skin is free from creasesor wrinkles, which would be permanently fixed by the tannage. The lower end of each skin must be tacked on to a stick and the skin then spread out carefully so that go it 'hangsin its natural condition when immersed in the tan liquod. The supporting stick rests upon a rectangular frame floating in the liquor. This process is a relatively costly one due to the skill necessary to place each skin in proper position and the space required by each skin being tanned.

Other means to separate the skins during the tanning operation have also been unsuccessful, due either to the expense involved or to the impossibility of protecting the separator from the action of the tan liquors.

My invention relates to a separator for. use in the tanning industry to keep skins separated during the process oftanning. One object of I my invention is to provide a separator that will be inexpensive to make andwillbe capable of re-use indefinitely. Another object of my invention is to provide a separator that will not affect or be affected by the tan liquors. Another- 40 object is to provide means for keeping the skins separated in such a manner as to require less room for the tannning process than has heretofore been necessasry. Another object is to provide separating means that will keep the skins free of wrinkles or creases without the necessity of the exercise of any great degree of skill or care. Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the description of the device.

Referring to. the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of my separ various layers broken away at one end to facilitate showing the structure. 2

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on a magnified scble through line lIlI of Fig. 1.

The foundation of my separator is a sheet of tor with the felt 1. This sheet is saturated with some material, such as asphalt, which is unaffected by the action of tan liquors. The saturated felt sheet 1 is provided with a casein size coat 2 on each face thereof. The felt sheets are generally sat- 6o urated at the felt mill and the application of the casein size coat perm'ts the felt to be rolled after saturation without allowing adjacent surfaces to adhere to each other. The seal coats 3 and 4 I may be of .any suitable composition and may be applied in any conventional manner. A satisfactory seal coat composition is:

0 Per cent Pigment; '70 Heavy boiled linseed oil 16.6 Volatile vehicle 13. 4- The proportions given are .by weight.' The first seal coat 3 is applied to a thickness of about .5

pounds per square yard on one face of the felt sheet. The sheet is then stoved for about eleven hours at a temperature of 140-145" F. This is just sufficient to cause the seal coat to congeal. The seal coat 4 is then applied on the other face of the felt sheet to a thickness of about .4 pounds per square yard and the sheet is again stoved for about eleven hours at 140-145 F. The additional thickness of the coat 3 over that of the coat 4 prevents the coat 3 from cracking, during the stoving period that congeals the seal coat 4. The seal coats 3 and 4 fill up the pores'of the felt sheet and provide a smooth face. The seal coats also prevent bleeding of the asphalt saturant from the felt sheet. The objection to such bleeding is not merely for the'sake of appearance but is a real objection from a practical viewpoint. If the asphalt saturant were-permitted to bleed from the felt sheet it would greatly prolong the maturing time and the final mixture of paint and asphalt would" not have the desired characterlstics. X

After the ,seal coats have been dried the paint coats 5' and 6, which form the base for thedesired surface of the finished separator, are applied. A satisfactory paint comprises:

I Per cen Pigmen 67.1 Medium boiled linseed oil 23.3 v varnish q r L 7.! 1 Volatile vehicle-.. 1.9 5

The paint coat 5, applied over the seal coat 4, is of the same thickness as the seal coat 3, that is, about .5 pounds per square yard. After the paint coat 5 is applied the sheet is stoved at 140-145 F. for about five days. This stoving 110 yard. The sheet is again stoved for about five.

. days at a'temperature of 140-145 F. This final stoving period also completes the hardening of the paint coat 5 which has been only partially hardened by the previous stoving period. The additional thickness of the paint coat 5 over that of the paint coat 6 prevents the paint coat 5 from becoming too hard during the final stoving period. If the paint coats 5 and 6 were of equal thickness the final stoving period would make the coat 5 too hard and inflexible and would cause it to crack. The paint coats contain approximately 53% solids and 47% voids. A greater percentage of voids results in a mat surface and would cause the separator to be unsatisfactory in service because of the lack of smoothness in the finished surface. A greater percentage of solids increases the glossiness of the surface. ,The paint coats 5 and 6 protect the felt sheet from the action of the tan liquors and prolong its life indefinitely.

After the final stoving period the separator is lacquered on both faces. This lacquer coat, designated at 'I on the drawing, may be any suitable lacquer known to the art and may be applied in any conventional manner. The lacquer, because of its lack of pigmentation, fills the voids in the surface of the paint coats and provides a flexible finish of glass-like smoothness. The smooth finish is a necessary requisite of the separator because the skins are held in close contact with the separators under pressure for extended periods of time in a moist atmosphere. The lacquer coat also adds to the moisture resistance of the separator and prevents the separators from sticking together when they are stacked. .Vamish cannot be used satisfactorily in place of the lacquer because of its tendency to cause the sheets to stick together when they are stacked.

While I have described the preferred embodiment of my invention and variations thereof, I do not wish to be limited thereto except in accordance with the following claims.

I claim:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a doublefaced sheet for separating hides while subjected to tanning solutions, said sheet comprising a saturated felt web having on each side thereof a plurality of paint coatings and a lacquer coating thereover, said sheet presenting a smooth, impervious surface on both sides thereof.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a doublefaced sheet for separating hides while subjected to tanning solutions, said sheet comprising an asphalt saturated felt web having on each side thereof a plurality of paint coatings and a lacquer coating thereover, said sheet presenting a smooth, impervious surface on both sides thereof.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a doublefaced sheet. for separating hides while subjected to tanning solutions, said sheet comprising a saturated felt web having on each side thereof a coating to seal the saturant in the web, a surface-forming coating and a lacquer coating thereover, said sheet presenting a smooth, impervious surface on both sides thereof.

4. As a new article of manufacture, a doublefaced sheet for separating hides while-subjected to tanning solutions, said sheet comprising a saturated felt web having on each side" thereof a coating to seal the saturant in the web, a surface-forming oil paint coating, and a lacquer coating thereover, said sheet presenting a smooth, impervious surface on both sides thereof, the elements of said sheet being free from destructive attack by tanning solutions.

5. In the method of-making a sheet for separating hides while subjected to tanning solutions, the steps consisting in saturating a felt web .with a saturant unaffected by tanning solutions; coating each side of the saturated web,

with a seal coat which bonds to the saturated felt; applying a relatively thick coat of oil paint to one side of the coated web and partially drying the same; applying a relatively thinner coat of oil paint to the other side and drying the thinner coat while completing the drying of the thicker coat; and applying thereover a coat of lacquer which is resistant to tanning solutions.

6. As a new article of manufacture, a double faced sheet for separating hides while subjected to tanning solution, said sheet comprising an asphalt saturated felt web having on each side thereof a smooth, plain film of oil paint, said film including a. major portion by volume of filling' material and an oil, and a film of lacquer covering said oil paint film and filling the voids therein, said sheet presenting a smooth, impervious surface on both sides thereof which is unaffected by the acids incident to tanning.

7. In the method of making a sheet for separating hides while subjected'to tanning'solutions, the steps consisting in applying a film of oil paint to one surface of an asphalt saturated sheet, congealing said paint film to permit handling of said sheet, applying a film of oil paint to the other surface-of said sheet, substantially completely drying the oil paint films and apply ing a film of lacquer which is resistant to tanning solutions to said oil paint films.

ROBERT M. ALLARD. 

